Gertie?
by Jane Doe1111
Summary: My take on how Gertie and Phil got to where they are today. Chapter five: the aftermath    R&R, smooches.
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! I figured I'd try my hand at a large-scale work, focusing on two characters who don't seem to get a lot of attention. Our favorite grandparents, Phil and Gertie.

I hope you enjoy! I'm getting away from beating up on Helga for a change :-)

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"Gertie, this looks delicious!" Set before him was an elaborate Thanksgiving feast, Phil had just taken over the boarding house with his new wife. They were celebrating their first Thanksgiving as a married couple. The year was 1945, and Phil had just returned from the war. They had been married nearly three months after his return. After he had dropped out of school to help his parents support him and his family, Phil and Gertie had lost touch. In 1939, Gertie moved into the boarding house run by Phil's father to keep her job at the local library, and they began a cool friendship, peppered with stolen glances, 'accidental' brushes, and anonymous favors. This continued until Phil was drafted for the war. He smiled as he remembered the night before he left...

_Phil was packing his bags, deciding what to take with him and what to leave behind. He was nervous, unsure if he would even return to this room. He had friends that he knew he would never see again, lost to the battlefield. A gentle knock on his door knocked him from his troubled thoughts._

_Phil opened the door to reveal Gertie, her eyes averted, looking very uncomfortable. She was pale and looked very tired. "... Gertie, what's wrong? It's almost midnight."_

_She finally looked at him, straight in the eyes. An almost tangible heat penetrated him to his very core. "You're leaving tomorrow, and I may not see you before you go..." Her voice trailed off. Neither said anything for a few moments, the tension growing with each passing second. She reached into her pocket and pulled something out. A gold pocket watch. Phil looked on in confusion as she thrust it at him. _

"_What's this for, Gertie?" _

_She averted her eyes again. "It's for telling time, Phil. Obviously." She paused, and continued softly, "It was my Pa's... He won't be needing it anymore, and I'm lending it to you." Phil paused. The boarding house had just received word that Gertie's father had been killed in battle. He was the only family she had left, and he had gone to serve his country, despite being well over he 'optimal' age for battle. This watch had apparently belonged to him. _

"_Gertie, I don't think I can... accept this. It was your pop's, you should hold on to-"_

"_I said I'm lending it to you." She sharply interrupted him. _

"_I... I may not come back, Gertie, you shouldn't..."_

"_You have to come back, Phil. I'm lending this to you, and you have to give it back. I'll never forgive you if you don't bring it back. It's my Pa's watch, and you have to give it back to me, so you can't lose it and you can't d-d-die." She stuttered on the last word, and her voice became choked. _

_Phil stood there, stunned. Silently he accepted the watch. As he watched it shine in his hand, Gertie turned to go. He grabbed her hand and held her back. He saw her shoulders stiffen and heard her draw ragged breaths. He turned her around and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, taken aback at her tears. He whispered in her ear. "Don't worry, Gertie. I'll bring your father's watch back. I'll keep it safe." She relaxed and softly wrapped her arms around his waist, and softly cried into his shoulder. They stayed that way well into the night, finally comforted by each-others presence, knowing what they could only dream about was now true. _

They sent letters back and forth throughout the war, sometimes days apart, sometimes months apart – always full of the desperate passion of young lovers. As soon as he returned home, he immediately found Gertie, showing up at the library in his uniform. He never forgot the look on her face.

"_'scuse me miss, where might I find Gertrude?" The elderly librarian looked across her glasses, quizzically looked him up and down, smiled and pointed to the stacks. He followed her gaze and saw her. He nearly froze on the spot. Before him stood Gertrude, her slender frame accentuated by her sweater and pencil skirt, her blonde hair pulled back in a neat bun. He grinned from ear to ear, and pulled out a shiny gold pocket-watch. He walked behind her, and dangled the watch in front of her face. She looked at it, first confused, and then gasped and spun around. He placed one hand on her hip, and one gently on her neck, pulling her towards him. Their first kiss as explosive, every bit as earth-shaking as the bombs he had escaped, but every bit as wonderful as the sweet relief from knowing that, for a few seconds more, he was alive. Right then and there, he dropped to one knee. They had never had a date, he hadn't planned it, and had no ring, but he knew then and there that he never wanted to be apart from her ever again. _

"_Gertie, will you marry me?" _

Three blissful months later, they had been married. As far as he was concerned, things couldn't be better.

"Phil? I have something to tell you..."

"What's the matter, Gertie? I've never seen you so serious."

"...I'm pregnant."

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First chapter of what I hope will be a successful fic. I hope you enjoyed it!

R&R

smooches 3


	2. Chapter 2

Hey folks. Next chapter in this.

Just to fix some confusion I inadvertently caused, when Gertie got preggers last chapter, it was Phil's. He knocked her up really soon after he got back from duty, not intentionally, but it works. Just go with it and assume it makes sense :-)

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"C'mon Gertie, you can do it, just squeeze my hand and remember your breathing now-"

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP, JUST SHUT UP, PHIL BEFORE I SLAUGHTER YOU AND YOUR STUPID BUTT-CHIN" Gertie snarled and panted. She was in her 7th hour of labor with their first child, and was in no mood to be coddled. Nevertheless, she squeezed her husband's hand so tightly he felt his fingers crack.

"Y-yes, Pookie. Whatever you say." He paled at the pain, and The nurse on-call made a note to schedule a meeting with the Orthopedic doctor to get his hand checked out.

"Alright, Gertrude, you're almost there, just two more biiiig pushes, and you'll be done. And PUSH!" Gertie pushed until she had nothing left in her, screaming bloody murder as her husband blotted the sweat off her brow. "Almost there, you can do it! Just one more! Breathe and... PUSH!"

Gertie's cries of pain were soon replaced by the cries of a new life.

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Shortman, it's a boy!" The nurse gently placed the crying infant in his mother's arms. A shock of blond hair stood straight up on his head, and his cries quieted in his mother's embrace. Finally calmed and flooded by endorphins, Gertie looked up at her husband and smiled.

"What should we call him, Pookie?" A sudden surge in pride had allowed him to completely push past the pain of having his hand crushed by his wife. They had discussed names, but had never officially decided, believing that when they met their child, they would _know_ what his or her name was.

"... Miles, we'll call him Miles, after my father." She looked down at her son, beaming with quiet love. Phil had never seen a more beautiful sight. He softly kissed his wife's brow, and looked down at his son, dreaming of their future.

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Life at the boarding house was never the same. Gertie quit her job at the library and helped Phil run the boarding house. All evidence of the sour, antisocial person she had been as a child was gone – the tenants went so far as to say that they had never seen a more happy woman, nor a more happy family. Gertie doted on her son, adored her husband, and gladly helped the tenants with whatever they needed.

She had never been good at names, and frequently called the tenants by the wrong names. At first, they corrected her, and she became deeply embarrassed. As time went on, the border-family corrected her less and less, the names she made up for them were just too humorous. She would take little Miles around and introduce him to the borders, telling him fantastical stories about them.

"Look, Miles, it's Colonel Kelly! Can you say 'hello' to Colonel Kelly? How's the Misses, Colonel?" The 'Colonel' chuckled. His name was Jonathan Mattiesen, had never served in the army, and had never been married. He waved at baby Miles, and saluted Gertie before returning to his room, hearing her tell Miles about how he had single-handedly brought down hundreds of Japanese fighter planes in Pearl Harbor. They all tolerated her whimsy, encouraged it even, they thought that it was for the sake of Miles that she was acting so strangely. But the strangeness did not end there.

"Pookie, are you making Turkey? It's the fourth of July, let's grill on the roof!" Gertie looked at her husband with confusion in her eyes. She paused and chuckled. "I'm sorry Phil, you're right. Of course it's the fourth. I'll finish up here, you head on up to the roof and start grillin', we'll just have lots of left-overs." She smiled sweetly at her husband. He smiled back, kissed her forehead, and grabbed his supplies to grill on the roof.

As he walked away, her smile faltered. She stood in the kitchen, alone save for her young son in his high-chair. She stood there, suddenly feeling very lost. She blinked a few times, shook her head, and continued cooking, puzzled at how she could confuse Thanksgiving for the fourth of July.

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As Miles grew, Gertie's strangeness came and went in small waves. At times she would be distant and detached from the others, speaking only with her son and husband. At other times, she was incredibly extroverted, laughing, joking, and playing with the other tenants – calling them strange names, creating a back-story for nearly all of them. Through all of this, she kept a journal on her bedside table. Phil never looked through it, believing it full of poetry. He had found a box full of journals hidden deep within their closet, filled with love poetry about him. He was touched, and wanted to read what he was sure were new poems, but decided against it, believing she should have her privacy.

Phil walked to the kitchen where Gertie was preparing dinner for the house, wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. "What's for dinner, Gertie?" She froze and spun around, glaring at Phil with hurt filled eyes.

"Who's Gertie?" Phil looked at her quizzically, a nervous smile appearing on his face.

"What are you talking about, Pookie?"

"Who is Gertie?" The nervous smile fell from his face, replaced by a look of confusion and concern.

"...Pookie... Gertie is your name, short for Gertrude... are you feeling alright?" He raised a hand to her forehead, she had no fever. She had looked tired for the past few days, but.. would that do this?

The hurt and anger in her eyes turned to fear, and then to confusion and embarrassment. "I... I'm sorry, Slim. I think... I think I'm going to go lay down for a spell... Could you... take care of dinner tonight?"

"Sure thing, Pookie, get some rest..." He watched as she walked away, leaving her husband and young son watching her. Miles began to toddle after her, until Phil saw him and picked him up. He played with him, to distract him from what he had just seen.

"Daddy? Why why was mommy beeng so weeeird?" Apparently, to no avail.

"I uh... Mommy's just tired, Miles. She's gonna go sleep and she's going to feel a lot better. It's going to be okay."

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"Pookie?" Phil quietly opened the door to their bedroom and found Gertie sleeping, curled up on the bed, her journal lying next to her. He picked up the book, planning to put it on her nightstand, when something caught his eye.

The words were not arranged like poetry, it was simply a journal. He sat on the bed and began to read.

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End chapter 2

What did Phil read in Gertie's journal?

Please R&R! The more reviews, the better (and faster!) I write! 3


	3. Chapter 3

Hello, readers! Thank you all for your support – I was so moved to see your reviews and favorite alerts. Thank you so much :-)

I totally forgot to do disclaimers. Whooooops: I don't own hey arnold, nor did I last chapter, nor the chapter before that.

Next chapter.

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_March 27, 1949_

_ Today is Miles' birthday, Phil and I are so proud – he's just a darling little child. It's so hard to believe that just a few years ago, Slim and I were just getting married. It feels like time is speeding by and slowing down at the same time. Who would have thought that I would be living my childhood dream? If you had told me, I probably would have punched your lights out. I never would have thought I'd be helping run the boarding house though, I always had so many ideas of how I would spend my life. Moving into the boarding house was just supposed to help me get on my feet until I had enough money stored away to get my own apartment! I couldn't be happier. All the travel, all the treasures in the world could not compare to a future with Phil, no matter what. _

_March 30, 1949_

_ Slim took us to the zoo today! We saw monkeys and lions and manatees and sea lions and elephants! Miles loved the tropical birds, but the poor dear had a bit of a scare in the arachnid house. I put him down just for a second so he could get a better look, and when he was looking at the spiders behind the glass, a spider from outside the exhibit started crawling up his arm! It was only a daddy long-legs, but poor little Miles was so scared – he didn't stop crying for an hour, poor dear. I loved the Tigers, they've always been my favorite. Joel Richardson in room 4 told me about his travels on safari, I wish I could go!_

Phil paused. He didn't remember the tigers when they went to the zoo... Hadn't they be sick and removed from exhibit that day? And _Johnny Richmond_ in room _8_ had never been outside the country... had he made it up to entertain Miles?

_April 3, 1949 _

_ I found a kitten wandering the streets today! She's just too precious, I've named her Mitzi, after Phil's cousin. They've got the same eyes, and the same sweet demeanor. I know she and Slim don't get along well, but we've always been close. Like sisters! She always gave me the best pranks to pull on Phil when we were kids. _

_ I do wish Mr. Kookooka would pay on time, and keep that kid out from underfoot. Slim and I are thinking of putting a ban on kids when they finally move out. He keeps telling me he'll pay when he gets the money, but I don't think he'll ever 'get the money.' _

Right. 'sweet.' Maybe Gertie saw a different side of Mitzi that he hadn't seen since Pooter... Poor Pooter... Little Mitzi DID kind of remind him of his sister... The cat sure seemed to hate him the same as his sister. She was right about _Kokoshka_, at least. The little brat was every bit as annoying as his father. He always pointed out little Oscar to Miles as an example of what NOT to do.

_April 27th, 1949_

_ The strangest thing happened today. I was at the store getting groceries, and I just... forgot where I was. I just... had no memory of where I was, what I was doing, not even what town I was supposed to be in. I talked to a woman down the isle from me, saying I was from out of town and didn't know what town I was in. She looked at me and said 'Gertie, are you okay? You're in Hillwood, you've been here all your life." _

_I still don't know who she was. _

This journal was beginning to give him the heebie-jeebies, certain details didn't match up, and she had been... keeping these things from him. Something was very wrong in this journal, something was very wrong with his wife...

Phil's blood ran cold as he read the next few entries.

_May 1st, 1949_

_ Teddy Roosevelt stopped by for tea today, the poor man isn't doing well. I think the stress of the job is starting to get to him. He told me that the aliens have set up shop at the water-tower outside of town. He told me not to worry though, they're going to be very far away soon. Mitzi seems to like him a lot at least. I wish she and Slim would get along better. Teddy says that's normal, and they'll get along again soon. He told me the Queen of England would be stopping by soon. He made very sure to tell me that she likes Orange Pekoe, not Earl Grey. He's such a brilliant man. _

_May 2nd, 1949_

_ WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME HELP ME WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME WHAT IS GOING ON?_

_May 3rd, 1949_

_ I don't understand what's happening... I think it's getting better, I certainly haven' t seen Theodore Roosevelt or the Queen of England lately... I'm sure it's just the stress getting to me. After all, I haven't been sleeping well. Miles got a little fever and hasn't been sleeping well. That's got to be it. I'll be better once I get some more sleep. _

_May 7th, 1949_

_ Today, I forgot my name. _

Phil slowly closed the journal and put it beside his sleeping wife. He sat beside her, stroking her hair.

He did not sleep that night.

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End chapter 3

R&R loves. 3


	4. Chapter 4

Hey friends, went off the grid for a while, was doing research for the story and working and graduating! I've typed up the next chapter, hopefully it's up to snuff and makes medical sense. I'll see y'all soon. I'm thinking this will be either the penultimate chapter or the ante-penultimate chapter.

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Phil paced in the kitchen. What should he do? Should he call the doctor and have Gertie committed?That was no life for her, she would be miserable in an Asylum... They were dangerous places. At the same time, could she be trusted with Miles? If she forgot where she was while she was with him, what could happen to his son? What if she forgot how to drive while she was in the car? Maybe it would be safer for her in the Asylum... that _is _what they were there for... a safe place for the ill to stay...

But why was this happening in the first place? She never mentioned anyone in her family going mad, and she was otherwise in fine health... she had the odd headache now and again, and from time to time she complained of stomach pains, but that happened to everyone! But these hallucinations, they're the farthest thing from normal...

"Slim, I'm gonna take Miles to the park, I'll be back in an hour, okay?" Gertie's voice jerked him from his thoughts.

"Uh. … Ger-... How about I go with you, Pookie?" If he went with her, he could keep an eye on her.

"That sounds dandy, Slim! Let's git on out!" She was wearing a cowboy hat, and Miles was holding a stuffed horse, looking gleefully at his mother's costume. Phil paused, wondering again if he should call the doctor, then took his wife's hand and pasted a smile upon his face – trying to make himself forget all that he knew for the sake of a few hours of happiness with his wife and child.

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"I love coming here, Miles and I come at least twice a week. It's just so _peaceful_, and there's lots of kids that Miles can play with too!" Gertie was beaming, and Phil was starting to let his guard down. She hadn't done anything strange so far, with the exception of the get-up, maybe things were going to get better...

Phil put his arm around her, enjoying this moment with her. Miles was playing with two of his classmates from school, girls named Suzie and Miriam, and there were several young children running around – playing games, climbing trees, and riding swings. Gertie got up to get some water from the fountain, leaving Phil to watch the happy scene in front of him. He was so happy, he nearly forgot about what he had been thinking this morning. She didn't need a doctor, she was fine!

"Mitzi! It's good to see you, how've you been?"

"Gertie...? It's Ellen, remember? Who's Mitzi?"

… Just a slip, right? That had to be a slip – he slipped at called people by the wrong name sometimes too! He looked at her, confused. She was talking to a girl they had gone to school with, not his sister... So much for her being okay.

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"... Pookie...? Can we talk?"

"What's going on, Slim? I've got to get dinner ready." She smiled innocently at him.

" I'll take care of dinner, I don't think 'watermelon surprise' is going to go over very well. Lets go sit down." Gertie's smile faltered. She chuckled nervously and followed Phil to the living room. "Pookie... are you okay? You've been saying and doing some very strange things lately. I'm worried." Gertie's eyes were filled with fear as she tried to reason with him.

"... Ph... J... S-Slim, what are you talking about? You're not making sense..."

"You can't even remember my name, can you? It's Phil. Don't you remember? Do you even remember your own name...?"

"Of course I do! It's... um... I... of course I remember your name, and mine! What a... what a ridiculous question!"

"...Pookie..." Phil's gaze softened. "...Your name is Gertrude. Gertrude Shortman, you've gone by 'Gertie' for almost 16 years... We... We run this boarding house together." He reached out to her and grasped her shoulder, trying comfort her. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Oh Lord... Phil... I don't know what's wrong with me... I just keep... forgetting things... and I just..." Her sobs made her words incomprehensible.

"It... it's okay, Gertie... We'll go see he doctor tomorrow... It's going to be okay..." His words fell on deaf ears, as she continued to sob late into the night.

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"Good morning, Mrs. Shortman, what seems to be the problem today?"

She looked at him, first frightened, then confused, then turned to Phil. He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "Doctor... my wife has been getting confused lately. She's forgetful, calls people by the wrong name... she's err... seeing things and... even forgetting who I am and who she is sometimes..." Gertie looked down, ashamed.

"I see... that's troubling... How have you been eating and sleeping?" She paused, and looked at Phil, hoping he would know.

"She's been having some trouble sleeping, and her appetite fluctuates. She gets stomachaches sometimes and she slurs her speech sometimes."

"I see... Have you been around any peeling paint?" Phil shook his head, they had just repainted the boarding house, and the paint had been in good shape before then – if a little faded. "I see... Well, I'm going to run some tests, I'm sure everything will turn out all right." He grinned at her and walked away, sending a nurse in to draw some blood. Gertie looked hopefully at her husband, encouraged by the doctor's words.

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"Lead poisoning? …... Are you sure? …... Thank you, Doctor, we'll see you soon." Phil's heart leaped for joy. While not the best diagnosis, far from it, it was better that than Schizophrenia or any of the other hundreds of horrible diagnoses that her symptoms could indicate, and, it was completely treatable with Chelation therapy! She would be okay, cured!

"Gertie! Guess what!" Phil bounded up the stairs, excited to tell his wife the news. As he burst through the bedroom door, his heart sank to the bottom of his feet.

She lay before him on the ground, her eyes wide and unfocused, her entire body shaking and convulsing.

"GERTIE!"

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End chapter 4

R&R Smooches


	5. Chapter 5

Morning, friends. I'm surprised that that last chapter looks so short! It is apparently the longest of the chapters I've written for this story so far. Interesting. Also, I totally forgot the disclaimer – whooops.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold or any of the characters, nor did I own it when I wrote/published the last chapter.

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Chapter 5

"Good news, Mrs. Shortman. The Chelation therapy is going very well, and you'll be able to go home this afternoon. Now, we'd like you to check in every week to check your blood for heavy metals for the next two months, but otherwise... you've got a clean bill of health. Congratulations."

"Thank you, Doctor." As the doctor walked away, the couple beamed at each other. Finally, their lives could get back on track. Since her seizure, Gertie had been on constant watch at Hillwood General Hospital. The hallucinations had all but stopped,, and she couldn't remember feeling as good as she did now. "We really got lucky with that diagnosis, didn't we, Phil?"

"Imagine that, Gertie, three identical cases of lead poisoning from that park. It was the water fountain that did it, huh?"

"I'm sure it was more than that, but I drank from that thing nearly every time I went, sometimes four or five times a day!"

It had been discovered that the pipe that delivered the water to the water fountain was constructed mainly from lead, in an attempt to cut costs. Several parents and some children had gone to their doctors with similar complaints of lethargy, stomach pains, and in some cases, mild hallucinations. Gertie's case had been by far the most severe; in addition to the frequent trips to the water fountain at the park, she had also come into contact with a great deal of lead in the boarding house kitchen, where the pipes had not been replaced and the paint was not as fresh as it was elsewhere in the house.

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Time passed and the boarders soon forgot about the entire incident. Families gained new members, grew older, some moved away and others took their place. Miles grew into a fine young man, although somewhat clumsy and luckless when it came to matters of the heart. Phil found himself consoling Miles many times whenever a girl would turn him down for a date, and Gerie helped him gently turn down unwanted advances.

A school field trip to the museum awakened a different love in Miles, He fell in love with ancient history, specifically South American history, and resolved to become an anthropologist. This put a serious strain on his family, having little in the way of money. Having watched this fine young man grow from a small child, the small neighborhood pooled their money to afford him an education, for which he was eternally grateful.

The neighborhood was changing as well, townhouses sprouted from the ground nearly overnight, and several new businesses opened. Luanne Khalo married the Vitello's boy and opened a flower shop Against everyone's strong suggestions to the contrary, Suzie Marshal married Oscar Kokoshka as soon as she graduated from high school and returned the boarding house – much to the disdain of the residents... Miriam Price, a long-time crush of Miles', trained for years for a chance to represent America in the Summer Olympics in swimming, but when she met second-rate businessman Robert Pataki, she gave up on her dream, dropped out of college and tried her hand at being a housewife.

Phil and Gertie were as happy as they had ever been and were settling well into their age. Although sad to see their son go, they certainly had their hands full with the boarders at the Sunset Arms. Every Friday they had a date night where they would either go out to dinner, watch Dino Spumoni at the theater, or simply go for a walk. They joked to themselves that they were making up for all the dates they never went on before their marriage.

Miles soon sent word that he had met a wonderful woman in South America and planned on marrying her. They were ecstatic for their son's good fortune and flew to San Lorenzo immediately.

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"Mr. and Mrs. Shortman! It's so wonderful to meet you!" Gertie smiled as a slim brunette bounded toward her, dragging Miles behind her. They braced themselves for impact as the young couple collided with them, embracing them tightly.

"Woah there, Stella, let's not break them"

"Oh for Pete's sake, Miles. We're _old_! Not _dead!_" Phil lightly scolded his son. As the two men caught up, Gertie turned to Stella, hoping to get to know her future daughter in law.

"Dad, she's wonderful, she's everything I've ever dreamed of! She's brilliant and beautiful and brave and.. and... "

"I'm proud of you, son. She seems like a lovely woman. Your ma seems to have taken a shine to her too." Phil gestured to Stella and Gertie, who were gabbing like old friends. "Now uh... I guess it's about time we talked about... 'the facts of li-"

"NoDadIthinkwe'regood. *ahem* I uh. I mean. Lets go check out the scenery, there's some sights here that are just... to die for."

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"Oh, Miles, your parents are so wonderful, your mother told me such wonderful stories for _hour! _You never told me she went on safari! She told me so much about the animals in the Serengeti and about the Royal family in Japan and... oh she's just so wonderful!" Stella beamed with excitement at Miles, expecting him to return her enthusiasm.

Miles's eyes narrowed in confusion. As far as he knew, his mother had never been to Africa or Japan... weird. Maybe she was jus trying to entertain Stella?

"Heh, yeah... she's great, huh? She was great to have around when I was growing up."

"She's amazing. How did she manage to be there for you when she was on the force?"

"... The force?"

"The police force, silly! She told me she was a detective for 5 years and was chief of police for 7 years! How old were you then?" Well that wasn't right...his mother had _never_ been on the force...

"Well, I don't remember her doing that, so it must have been before I was around. Let's go to sleep?"

"Okay, honey, sweet dreams. I love you."

"I love you too, Stella." Miles kissed Stella's forehead and settled beside her, his mind racing. He resolved to talk to his father in the morning.

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"Mrs. Shortman! What seems to be the problem? You aren't due for a visit for another few months."

The familiar scene played out once more. Gertie sat in front of her doctor with her husband and son, newly married and flown in from San Lorenzo, at her side, silently encouraging her to speak.

"Well, Doctor... my family seems to think that... I'm suffering from lead poisoning again... They tell me I'm doing strange things and saying strange things... and I don't recall any of it..."

"This is troubling, Mrs. Shortman, we'll order some blood work to get this all cleared up. If it is, we'll be sure to get you treatment immediately, and if it isn't... we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Alright? … Ma'am? … … Gertrude?" Gertie's eyes had glassed over and she stared into nothingness.

"Mom?" Miles tentatively reached out to put a hand on his mother's shoulder. The doctor and Phil held his arm back as Phil stepped in front of Gertie.

"Pookie? Do you know where you are?" His slow pace and gentle tone were the best he could muster while his heart pounded in his chest.

"I'm in the sick ward at the Library. I have to go, my break ends in ten minutes." Gertie's voice changed from slow and timid to happy and sing-song. She did not recognize her husband and son standing in front of her.

"Mrs. Shortman, I-" Gertie's eyes narrowed as she glared at the doctor.

"Shhh! Don't call me that!" She shrieked. "Then he'll know! No one can know!"

"Know what, Pookie?"

"They'll know I'm in love with Phil Shortman! It's bad enough that Mitzi knows, and I don't need anyone to go blabbing my secret!" Her words were so laced with rage that she practically spat them out.

"Mrs. Shortman... do you know the year?" The doctor paused, this was unusual, and sounded little like lead poisoning.

"What kind of a stupid question is that, Jimbo? It's 1944 of course!"

"Dad... what's going on?" Miles turned to his father, confused. He had his suspicions about his mother's actions, but this was the first time he had seen her lose touch with reality. The doctor's name was, of course, not Jimbo...

"It'll be okay, Miles, your mother just needs some medicine, let's let the doctors do their job, okay?" And with that, he pushed his son from the room.

"Very well, Mrs. Shortman, let's procede."

"Jimbo, if you tell ANYONE about what I... feel... for Phil Shortman, I'll punch you into next week... got it? Ol' Agnes and the five Vindicators don't like snitches..." The doctor stared at her in disbelief. This violent outburst was uncharacteristic for lead poisoning. While he was doubtful his elderly patient could harm him, he was increasingly concerned for her mental health. Keeping her calm would be vital to diagnosing her. He made a note to call the Psychiatric Ward at Hillwood General. This could be outside his expertise...

"... Yes ma'am."

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"C'mon, Pookie, time to get dinner ready." Gertie looked up from the toddler playing in her lap.

"Already, Slim? Miles is just so cute, I can't tear myself away!"

"... Now, Pookie. That's _Arnold,_ Miles's _son._"

"Oh my yes, any children of Miles would be precious!" Phil watched Gertie turn back to baby Arnold and play with him.

Some days she was lucid, and other days she was... like this. A thorough battery of tests had revealed that Gertie was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. Her slips in and out of lucidity were frequently, although largely benign. As long as Phil kept an eye on her, she was still largely functional and independent.

Miles and Stella had come and gone, back to San Lorenzo to help the Green-Eyed people. With heavy hearts, they left their young son with his grandparents, hoping for a safer life for him. Miles hated to leave his family behind, especially his ailing mother, but he had no choice. The doctors said there was little to be done, and that nature would take its course.

Sometimes she went through long periods of lucidity, as of now, her record was two and a half weeks of knowing who she was, who her family was, and when and where she was. Other times she was not so lucky.

Rather than put her in a nursing home, Phil decided it was better for her to live at the boarding house. Her spitfire charm, what he had always loved about her, had yet to leave her. Through her delusions and moments of clarity, she was the same Gertie she had always been, the same Gertie he was still very much in love with. He could never trade her moments of lucidity for anything in the world.

"Phil ? Do you want to start dinner? I just put Arnold to bed." Lost in his reverie, Phil failed to notice his wife walk up beside him. He stood there for a second, slack-jawed and shocked.

… _Lucidity. _

"That sounds... really great, Gertie." He grinned warmly and snaked his arm around hers, and lead her into the kitchen. He listened to her talk about the repairs the boarding house needed, and talk about how sweet their grandson was and thought to himself, that for just this moment, he was the luckiest man in the world.

X

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Mkay friends. That's it. Sort of. I'll be publishing the epilogue separately. I think it works rather well without it, but I really wanted the epilogue to be the last word in it (you know, like an _epilogue. _Doi.) I'm kind of rambling. So if you want the 'happy-ish' ending, here you go. If you want the 'more my style' ending, then I'll publish it soon. Smooches, my loves!

R&R


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